A Different Warrior
by etoileluisant
Summary: This tale recounts of a different James Potter, who's background story didn't scream of united parents, of one who never knew his father, and who didn't know what to think of his mother. This tells the story of a James beneath the covers, of what could've been, had the plotline been different.


**August 11** **th** **, 1959**

"Ambriel, don't be foolish!" He yelled after her.

"Don't be foolish? Don't be foolish?! Oh, that's rich, Charlus! I have nothing left here! I've lost everything! Go marry her and leave me be!" She shouted at him, the wind blurring the last words Charlus would ever hear from her in the next decade or so.

Then she turned around and started walking to the edge of the ward boundaries; but Charlus could see the falter in her steps.

"Don't do this, Ambriel!" He yelled one last time, desperately.

"It's too late for that, Charlus. You'll never see me again. I promise you." She screamed over the beating wind and rain.

Seconds later, a popping sound signaled her disappearance, and Charlus James Potter fell to his knees in grief.

* * *

 **September 1** **st** **, 1971**

"I swear, James Potter! Sometimes I wonder why I even bothered having you!" Ambriel Galloway huffed.

"Aw, mum! I love you too!" James cooed, grinning as he flung random articles of clothing into his trunk.

"Didn't I tell you to pack last night?" Ambriel demanded.

"Uh huh." James nodded.

"And you didn't listen to me?" She groaned.

"Nope!" He enunciated the 'p' with a pop, grinning unashamedly.

"You know, when you go to Hogwarts and meet Professor McGonagall, you'll be reminded of your poor old mother who tried to teach you manners. And where that poor old mother didn't succeed, she surely will and not with my resigned behavior. She'll give you a disciplinary hand, if needed." Ambriel sighed and left her son's room.

James mimicked her behind her back and continued stuffing his clothes in the trunk.

"You done yet, Jamie?" A mischievous voice came from the doorway and James turned around to see his best friend.

"Do I look like I'm done, Black?" James groaned. "Come and help me, for Merlin's sake!"

Sirius chortled.

"Kreacher!" He yelled.

A wrinkly, bald old thing with wide tennis ball green eyes and floppy ears, wearing an elaborately styled black tea cozy with the Black family crest on it, appeared.

"Yes, Master Sirius?" He croaked.

"Help Master James pack his stuff." The Black heir ordered the house elf imperiously, looking eerily like his own grouchy mother, Walburga.

James snorted. "You look like your mum."

"And that's how you say thank you?" Sirius raised one eyebrow.

"Yep. You look like Aunty Wally." James grinned.

Sirius groaned. "I don't know how you get away with calling her that. I can't even call her mum! It's always mother!"

"Charming is my middle name, Siri." James replied cockily.

"Oh, shut up." Sirius scowled.

With that, the two boys traipsed down to the Sun Room, where James' mum and grandparents were sitting down to breakfast with Sirius' parents and younger brother, Regulus.

"Hello Gran, Gramps, mum. Good morning Uncle Orion, Aunty Wally, Reggie." James smiled brightly.

"Hello, James. How are you this morning?" Orion Black asked him calmly.

"I'm great, thanks Uncle Ori." James grinned as he plopped down on the chair next to Regulus.

Orion smiled fondly and ruffled his hair, whilst Walburga tried to suppress a smile.

"My grandson has been very … jubilant, lately." James' grandmother stated, he lips twitching out of fondness for her grandson.

"That is to say, he's been climbing the walls." Edward, his grandfather chuckled richly.

"Boys will be boys, Lysandra." Walburga put a napkin on her lap primly.

"Mother!" Sirius and Regulus protested.

"Case in point." She nodded her head toward her two sons without any real malice.

Sirius pouted. "I thought you loved me!"

"Yes, Aunt Wally. How could you betray him like that!" James piped up, looking mock insulted.

"James!" Ambriel said sharply.

"Yes, mum?" James smiled innocently.

"Eat your breakfast." She motioned to his bacon-filled plate.

"Yes, mum." James blew her a raspberry, and Ambriel sighed.

He turned to Sirius and high-fived him, laughing happily.

A contented silence settled over the group as they ate breakfast.

"I can't believe you're going to Hogwarts. Take me with you." Regulus stated, not without a little jealousy.

"Come on, Reg! It's only school!" Sirius replied lightly, although you could see the excitement shining in his eyes.

"Hogwarts is more than a school, Sirius Orion! When you go to Slytherin, it will teach you how to be a proper pureblood!" Walburga chided him.

" **If** I go to Slytherin." Sirius corrected her.

Walburga narrowed her eyes at her oldest son and opened her mouth to say something, before Orion cleared his throat.

"Have you seen the Weasley's lately, Edward?"

Edward's nose wrinkled in disgust. He wasn't a big fan of the Prewett's and when their daughter, Molly married Septimus' oldest son, Arthur, he had raved about the disgrace it brought to the name of pureblood for weeks on end.

"Yes, unfortunately. Septimus' son just married the Prewett brat a few weeks ago, yes?"

"Indeed. They invited Walburga and I to the ceremony. We, of course, didn't lower ourselves to go." Orion stated.

"But father! They aren't that bad …"

"Sirius." Orion stated warningly, and Sirius quickly inhaled a cup of orange juice.

At 10:20, when everyone had finished eating breakfast, a house elf brought James' trunk to the parlor.

"We have to go to the train station if you want to get good compartments, boys." Ambriel stated.

"Ambriel is indeed correct." Walburga nodded her head and got up.

With that statement, everyone pushed their chairs back and got up, straightening their robes.

A few grumbles and groans later, the Black's and Galloway's were standing on Platform 9 ¾ .

"So this is it." Ambriel stated, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

This reminded her of another painful goodbye she had suffered through, eleven years ago.

"Not goodbye, Ambriel dear. We will see them, Christmas come." Lysandra stated gently.

She knew the pain Ambriel had gone through all those years ago; she had witnessed firsthand how lonely her daughter had been, how hard it had been for her to give birth to James without his father present.

Ambriel smiled sadly and gathered James in a hug. For the first time in his life, the eleven-year-old Potter didn't argue or try to get out of her hug. He knew his mother was reminded of the time she had left his father. He had heard her recounting the tale to one of her friends. Since then, he had tried to be easier to her, more affectionate.

When she finally let go, James squeezed her hand and smiled reassuringly.

"I'll be back for Christmas, mum."

"You'd better be, James Charlus, or I'll take away your broom until you're thirty." She joked tearfully.

"You wouldn't!" James put a hand on his heart, mock wounded.

"Try me." She grinned competitively.

With that, everyone said their goodbyes and James and Sirius boarded the Hogwarts Express.

The Black's apparated away with Regulus after the first goodbye and James' grandparents followed suit. But Ambriel remained with her son, holding his hand reassuringly from one of the windows and telling him last minute details about the castle.

" … and be careful with the staircases. They like to change." She told him, and just then, the train whistle sounded.

Ambriel withdrew her and started waving as the train pulled away.

"Bye, mum!" James yelled, waving his hand manically.

But at the last minute, he saw someone, and that changed his life forever.

A man, with messy black hair and hazel eyes was staring at him, his eyes a definition of betrayal and semi-shock.

In his hands was clutched a thick envelope made of parchment, and on it, James could make out a small and neat, elegant calligraphy, written with emerald green ink, of which was reminiscent to the handwriting on the Hogwarts letter he had received on his birthday.

And then he realized. This man was Charlus Potter, and the look on his mum's face confirmed that belief.

The last vision he saw was of Charlus confronting his mum, an accusatory mask on his face. And it wasn't long until his face held the same expression Charlus' had, and that was because of one thing.

He realized, his mother hadn't told Charlus about his existence.

James just stood there in front of the window for a long time, maybe half an hour, until Sirius appeared and dragged him off to a compartment.

The day, for one James Charlus Potter, wasn't as joyful as it should've been.

* * *

 **AN: So, for those of you confused, James Charlus Potter was born to Charlus Potter and Ambriel Galloway. Charlus was forced into a betrothal with Dorea Black while he was in a courtship with Ambriel, whose own mother is second cousin to Walburga. Ambriel, upon hearing of this news, left Charlus, not knowing that she was pregnant with his son. So, she went to her family's estate upon being informed of this news on one of her impromptu visits to the Healer, and she gave birth with only her mother for company.**

 **As you read above, she didn't inform Charlus about his son's existence, and James grew up believing his dad didn't want him. The revelation that his father didn't know about him, hit him hard and he no longer knows what to think of his mum, as she's been lying to him the whole time. This news made James' trusting nature falter a bit and he no longer trusts as easily.**

 **So, I hope you liked this little thing that came to my mind earlier.**


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